POMEROY–Garfield County Transportation Director Rachel Anderson, and Jeff Ruchert, Manager of the Garfield County Transportation Authority (GCTA), announced at the regular monthly meeting February 18, that they have received the new cutaway bus. The vehicle has been insured and licensed, and they are waiting for the GCTA graphics on the outside.

The new bus, which is equipped with a wheelchair lift, will be replacing a 2001 model (#503) which currently has 172,000 miles logged in it. The older bus will go into surplus, possibly on a website specifically used for selling these types of vehicles. Another bus (#506) will be put in reserve due to the new purchase, but will remain in use when needed. The new bus will be used locally mostly, and more fuel-efficient vehicles will handle the commuter traffic to the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley. However, if the wheelchair lift is needed on the commuter trip, the new bus will be put into service.

A local resident, who uses a wheelchair, has asked for assistance with coordinating a pick-up in Lewiston to return to his residence in Pomeroy on a regular basis. Anderson has been in contact with the Lewiston Transit service and they will be working out the details with the GCTA to arrange to pick that commuter up when needed.

In an ongoing search for washing and cleaning services for the GCTA vehicles, Anderson said she has some information that they may be able to make arrangements with the Lewiston School District to have the vehicles cleaned at the school district’s bus barn. The cleaning services are made available two days per week, at a reasonable rate. The drivers would be able to take the vehicles there and wait to have them cleaned. Anderson added that she will need to get more details.

The court case that the GCTA has joined regarding Initiative 976 passed by voters in November, 2019, is still on hold, and may be advancing to the Supreme Court eventually. Anderson stated that the GCTA has grant funding available through June, 2021, but after that they are unsure about how much funding they will have for operations. Garfield County Commissioner Justin Dixon, stated that the State expects about a $200 billion shortfall in their budget for transportation due to the initiative, and they will be forced to take money out of other areas to make up for this lost funding. Anderson responded that she had heard that rural areas of the state will be funded first, but Dixon argued that urban areas have a greater population that will be affected by the cuts, as well as a greater number of voters. He added that everyone should expect dramatic cuts. Garfield County Commissioner Wynne McCabe stated that we “need to plan for the worst, and hope for the best.”

The next meeting of the GCTA will be held Monday, March 16, 2020, at 1:15 p.m. in the boardroom of the Garfield County Courthouse.